Trump responds to Sen. Tim Scott’s 2024 bid.

Trump Welcomes Scott to 2024 Republican Presidential Primary

Former President Donald Trump welcomed Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to the 2024 Republican presidential primary, using Scott’s move as a means to target Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Good luck to Senator Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race. It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up” from DeSantis.

During his speech on Monday, Scott attempted to paint himself as an optimist who could get things done and criticized President Joe Biden and his agenda. He also said of Biden: “This administration has taxed, borrowed, and spent trillions of dollars trying to replace a hand up with handouts. All they bought us was crushing inflation that has devastated families like mine.”

Scott appears to have the support of several top donors, according to a number of reports, as well as members of the Republican Senate leadership.

Scott’s Background and Campaign

When he was appointed to the Senate in 2013 by then-Gov. Nikki Haley, Scott became the first black senator from the South since just after the Civil War. Winning a 2014 special election to serve out the remainder of his term made him the first black candidate to win a statewide race in South Carolina in more than a century.

Scott has also routinely repudiated the teaching of critical race theory, a quasi-Marxist academic framework that presents the idea that the nation’s institutions need to be purged of white people. “Today, I’m living proof that America is the land of opportunity and not a land of oppression,” he said Monday.

A source of strength for Scott will be his campaign bank account. He enters the 2024 race with more cash on hand than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history, with $22 million left.

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